Southern African Large Telescope

Southern African Large Telescope

Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, with a mirror measuring 11.1 by 9.8 metres (36.4 by 32.2 feet). It is located at the South African Astronomical Observatory near Sutherland, South Africa, at an elevation of 1,798 metres (5,899 feet). SALT is based on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). SALT is fixed at an elevation angle of 53° and thus moves only in azimuth. It follows objects with a moving instrument package at the focal point of the telescope mirror. The mirror is made up of 91 identical hexagonal segments. SALT is designed specifically for spectroscopy of astronomical objects. Construction of SALT began in 2000, and it made its first observations in 2005. The primary partner in funding SALT is the National Research Foundation of South Africa. More than 20 research institutes and universities in Germany, India, New Zealand, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States are also partners in SALT.